Book Review: Cooked to Death edited by Rhonda Gilliland and Michael Allan Mallory Let’s return to the world of themed anthologies, a quick way to get a sample of various authors writing on a particular topic. In this case, it’s primarily Minnesota and other Midwestern writers doing crime and mystery short stories around the topic… Continue reading Book Review: Cooked to Death
Tag: cooking
Manga Review: Delicious in Dungeon 1
Manga Review: Delicious in Dungeon 1 by Ryoko Kui It is said that “an army marches on its stomach.” Logistics are important to adventurers too, as this party just learned the hard way. They’d lost their food supplies while in the dungeon, so when a red dragon popped up, they were suffering the effects of… Continue reading Manga Review: Delicious in Dungeon 1
Movie Review: Tampopo
Movie Review: Tampopo (1985) directed by Juzo Itami Truck drivers Goro (Tsutomu Yamazaki) and Gun (Ken Watanabe) get hungry on a long haul, and stop at Ramen Lai-Lai, a failing restaurant. To be honest, the food’s not all that good, but Goro gets into a fight with local drunk Pis-Ken (Rikiya Yasuoka), who’s being rude to… Continue reading Movie Review: Tampopo
Manga Review: Magu-chan: God of Destruction
Manga Review: Magu-chan: God of Destruction by Kei Kamiki In a sleepy seaside village in Japan lives a middle-school girl named Ruru Miyanagi. Her father passed away some years ago, and her mother is working overseas, so Ruru is taking care of herself and money is tight. When she finds an unusual crystal on the… Continue reading Manga Review: Magu-chan: God of Destruction
Manga Review: Beast Complex I
Manga Review: Beast Complex I by Paru Itagaki As it happens, Paru Itagaki has loved drawing animals and animal-people since she was a child. So it’s no surprise that when she started professional manga creation, she chose to write about a world where various animal people lived together and tried to have a civilization. Before… Continue reading Manga Review: Beast Complex I
Manga Review: Iron Wok Jan! 2
Manga Review: Iron Wok Jan! 2 by Shinji Saijyo, with supervisor Keiko Oyama Jan Akiyama’s grandfather Kaiichiro was one of the two greatest chefs of Chinese cuisine in Japan. He took Jan into the mountains for years to train him in the culinary arts. But Kaiichiro Akiyama died, and his final instructions were for Jan… Continue reading Manga Review: Iron Wok Jan! 2
Anime Review: Golden Kamuy
Anime Review: Golden Kamuy Japan may have won the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, but not all of the soldiers came home…not even the living ones. Sugimoto, nicknamed “Immortal Sugimoto” for his ferocity and amazing ability to survive battles and wounds, came home just long enough to learn his best friend’s widow was going blind. He… Continue reading Anime Review: Golden Kamuy
Manga Review: Rin-ne Volumes 7,8 & 9
Manga Review: Rin-ne Volumes 7, 8 & 9 by Rumiko Takahashi Quick recap: Rinne Rokudo is a shinigami, a psychopomp who helps ghosts and wandering spirits move on to the next life. Because he’s part human, Rinne’s powers are relatively weak and he must use gadgets, often expensive, to bolster his attempts. Moreover, due to… Continue reading Manga Review: Rin-ne Volumes 7,8 & 9
Book Review: We Have Always Lived In the Castle
Book Review: We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson No one except Merrikat goes up the back path to the Blackwood house any more. Not since the murders. And that’s just the way Mary Katherine Blackwood likes it. And even she would not go through the gate except that someone has to shop for groceries once a week. Uncle Julian is… Continue reading Book Review: We Have Always Lived In the Castle
Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (2018)
Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (2018) by various Here we are at another anniversary for SKJAM! Reviews, and thus my annual review of the state of Shonen Jump. This may, however, be the last in this format–more on that anon. A quick recap for those who haven’t been here before: Shounen Jump Weekly is the top-selling manga anthology in… Continue reading Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (2018)